Halo:Armageddon
by mchmstr
Summary: In retaliation to the attack on Thandon, the Master Chief and the soon arriving SpartanIIB recruits attack the Covenant on the planet Armageddon. But a new enemy is being revived by the Covenant. Will the Spartans be able to handle the new threat?
1. The Iron Fist

Attention: This story is a sequel to another story, Halo: The Recruit, I suggest that you read that before you read this because you might be confused later on.  
  
Disclaimer: Like my other story, I own NOTHING associated with Halo1, Halo2, Bungie Studios, Microsoft, Halo: The Fall of Reach by Eric Nylund, Halo: The Flood by William c. Dietz. Once again I own none of the listed above!  
Chapter 1: The Iron Fist  
  
Two months prior to Spartan2b arrivals.  
  
On the bridge of the Forgotten Realms Captain Donovan looked at the planet Armageddon. It wasn't technically called that, in Covenant it was Sader'Torg, in English it was Mazertan, but it wasn't the planet it used to be. It was probably as close to Earth in terms of environment as you could get. But when the Covenant glassed it, it transformed in to a mountain of magma flows, slag, and anything else that is made when a planet is over 30,000 degrees for about a year. Through the large observation window on the Realms Donovan was waiting for the master chief. It was almost the exact same scenario that the chief went through six years ago. Being called to the bridge to see the captain. Except this time it was the Covenant who were abandoning ship. An associate of Dr. Halsey had created a new weapon called the Iron Fist. It used a high-energy pulse that would destroy a shield in about two hits; the drawback was that only new destroyers and the new carriers could carry the massive weapon. Bright silver light flooded the bridge as ships were using the weapon. Donovan turned around and saw a seven-foot tall cyborg standing behind him. "Hello captain." Donovan was craning his neck back so he could look the chief in the 'eyes'. "Hello master chief. I'm sending you to Armageddon so you may help the marines in the assault. Apparently they have come up to a Covenant installment and are under heavy siege. They need you and a group of scorpions to be able to destroy the outpost. Oh, you'll be provided with some rocket launchers. for some 'fun' time." " Oh goody," replied the chief not hiding the pleasure in his voice. "Sir, the landing craft is ready." "Landing craft?" he replied. "Yes. We have new landing crafts that are able to hold enormous amounts of troops, supplies and anything else you could fancy." "Ah. So I'll be riding with some scorpions, rocket launchers, and ammo?" "There'll be drivers for the scorpions, reinforcements, and pelican pilots," he replied. "Better get going." The chief saluted and jogged to the hangar bay. In front of him was an enormous metallic ship that had a strong resemblance to a pelican. The only difference was that there was an oversized holding compartment, more thrusters and larger wings. The chief walked to the entrance to the personnel compartment and was greeted by five scorpions inside. "Where's the personnel compartment?" A nearby tech pointed at the large bay and walked off. The chief walked up the ramp looking at the enormous craft. In the back he saw a small metal door that was open. Looking in it he realized that it was the personnel compartment. Sitting in seats like in a pelican were thirty or more marines looking at him in amazement. Spying a spot near a window he sat down and buckled up. The large door started to close followed by their door. Two distinct thumps were heard as the cabins were sealed form the vacuum of space. The large engines of the ship angled down and fired up. A loud roar erupted from the ship's engines as they worked to get the heavily loaded craft off its skids. The metal underneath the engines was a deep orange color as it started to liquefy. Almost as if jumping the ship hovered and rotated to face the large opening where the bay doors were. The engines rotated back to their normal positions and flared up. Getting forced against his seat, the chief looked out the window and saw the Forgotten Realms disappear into the blackness of space.  
  
It took a little over an hour to reach the planet's outer atmosphere. Here is where it gets tricky, thought the chief. He had never liked reentry. It was the only thing that scared him, burning up in an inferno hundreds of miles above the surface of a planet. The craft started to shake a little and then increasingly got harder as the atmosphere tore at the hull. Flames and plasma licked at the windows all around him. Moisture was forming on any metal surface less than 120 degrees, including the chief. A ship made a sharp plummet as the abnormal gravity of Armageddon took hold of the craft. The ships wings extended to their full atmospheric range and started cut large swaths in the red clouds. Looking down the master chief saw landing pads, walls, marines, and many more things moving around on the surface where they were to land. He had never seen such a hellish place in his entire life. The marines around him all reached into bags next to them and pulled out respirators. He leaned over to a marine near him and asked him what they were for. "Armageddon has an atmosphere that could kill you in five seconds flat." "Corrrtttannaa." "Ah, the soldier asks the peasant for advice." "Har Har, is my suit able to protect me from the elements here?" "Yes, the Mark-7 has a built in O2 tank that automatically makes your CO2 back into O2. Nifty huh? Now if you'll excuse me I am trying to break into the Covenants battle net right now." The chief looked out the window and saw marines in all directions looking at the ship. They knew that one of the most powerful soldiers in the universe had landed. 


	2. Brute Force

Chapter 2: Brute Force  
  
One month, two weeks till Spartan2b arrivals.  
  
Even with the scorpions and reinforcements the Covenant installation took almost two weeks to take, but was close to ending with a human victory. The only eerie thing was that the Covenant were fighting as if they had a secret. The chief had very little sleep but was acting as if he had slept for 20 hours each day. Looking around he noticed that the marines weren't moving on to ground that was ripped from the Covenant. Frustrated at the stupidity of the marines. He jumped out of the small foxhole he was having a nap just five minutes ago and yelled at the marines. "You need to move forward when you have secured an area immediately, the Covenant will want it back!" Hearing this almost all of the marines jumped out of the foxholes and in to the blood and gore covered ground. Plasma shots rained down on the marines. One marine stopped to grab the dog tags of a fellow soldier and was hit in the head. Where his head used to be was now a bloody stump. The chief turned around knowing that he couldn't do anything. Running ahead the chief didn't even bother to aim his rifle, he lowered it on the Covenant on the ground and unloaded ammo clip after ammo clip into the mob. Blood of all colors flew against the wall. One or two shots got off but did no damage. The chief now focused on the Covenant on top of the wall. Three Grunts were on the wall with fuel rod cannons aimed at him. He sprinted to a nearby rock and loaded a new clip. Remembering that his pistol could scope he pulled it out and aimed. He got the closest Grunt in his sights and fired. The head exploded in a spray of brain matter and blood. He aimed at the stunned Grunt next to him and put a round in its throat. Dropping the cannon the Grunt tried to stop the blood geyser but it was futile. The third Grunt fired the cannon and started to recharge trying to get one more shot in. The plasma round hit the rock and obliterated it in a million pieces. The chief grabbed a frag and tossed it into the compound hoping to hit something good. A large flash followed by a loud boom and a wave of shrapnel came from the grenade. Sure enough he hit the power generator. The lights all around him blinked and went out. Good, night, I can get much closer now, he thought. The chief crouched down and headed for the main door. The Elites on top were in utter chaos, knowing that the most powerful soldier they had ever seen was heading towards them was frightening, but if the other troops betrayed them to surrender, that would be hell. The chief was about to palm the control panel when he heard a loud roar. Thinking that it was a Hunter he leaned up against the wall so he could put a well-placed grenade on it's back. The door opened but nothing came out for at least a minute. Then suddenly a small, round, blue shot came out from the dark corridor. The shot hit a marine square in the chest and blew almost his entire abdomen into the atmosphere. The chief primed a frag and held the handle. Thinking that he heard some steps he tossed the grenade into the doorway. The grenade went off but he heard a loud roar that didn't sound like a Hunter. Knowing he'd have to eventually take the creature on he primed his pistol because of the larger rounds. One.Two.Three Now! The chief swung around and leveled the pistol at where he thought where the head should be. He yanked the trigger back and unloaded round after round into the dark silhouette he saw. The rounds bounced off something metallic to his dismay. Hearing a loud snarl he stepped back around pressed up against the wall again. "Cortana, do you know what the hell that is?" "Not a clue," she replied "Probably a different kind of Hunter, but don't take my word for it." Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway. The chief turned on his helmet lights and was about to take the beast on when it emerged form it's hiding. Standing close to nine feet tall was an ape like creature. On its shoulders were two purple plates. It had a metal plate on the top of its head. It held a plasma shotgun with a large scythe on the back. Crossing on its chest were two metal straps connecting to its belt, on its belt though were portable explosive charges. The beast surveyed its surroundings before letting out an earsplitting roar revealing a set of very sharp teeth. Trying to be able to sneak up on the beast the chief stayed as still as possible. "Ah, that's what that is, a Brute." "A Brute?" "Yes, there have been some reports of these guys but nothing conclusive, like ghosts on the battlefield." "How do you beat it?" "Brute force," she replied. The chief smiled at Cortana's pun. Leveling his rifle at the exposed part of his head he was going to put a full ammo clip into its brain. But the Brute heard the clicking of the rifle and turned to face him. Swinging his rifle he hit the Brute square in the forehead. Purple blood trailed down from its lips and forehead. The Brute was dazed enough that the chief could put some distance between him and it. Roaring the Brute covered the distance in three bounds. The Brute swung the gun trying to decapitate the chief. The blade made SSSSHHHHIIIINNNNGGG sound as it missed the chief by inches. The chief was about to turn and get near the rocketeers but tripped on a stone. He fell to the ground and saw the barrel of the shotgun pointed at his face. 


	3. The Forerunners

Chapter 3: The Forerunners  
  
One month, two weeks till Spartan2b arrivals.  
  
Looking into what would be a barrel of the plasma shotgun the Master Chief was running simulations in his mind. Nothing would work. Any way, any plan, he would somehow be killed or mortally wounded by the Brute. Then, a thought came into his mind. He kicked his foot into the Brutes crotch hoping to hit something. A loud roar came out from the Brute as the Chief's metal boot did major damage. Doubling over on the ground the Chief grabbed the shotgun and put three shots into the Brute. His innards from the waste up were rocketed into the scorched dirt. Purple blood sprayed in all directions and hit the chief. This could come in handy, thought the chief as he tossed his rifle and held onto the plasma shotgun. Realizing that the gun had a built in wireless scope he had Cortana get a feed to him. "Just ask and it'll come up." "Thanks Cortana, this might come in handy," he replied. During his duel the marines had almost cleared the top of the installation. "Scope." Immediately a zoomed in image of the ground appeared on his screen. Better get used to this, he thought. Putting a bothersome Elite in the HUD reticule he pulled the trigger and sprayed brain matter into his fellow soldiers. Noticing a plasma grenade on another Elite he put a shot into it and cleared half the wall, and put about thirty Covenants out of their misery in an explosion of blood, metal, and plasma. "Nice shot," whispered Cortana. "Thanks," he replied.  
  
Walking into the same corridor that the Brute had come out of the Master Chief was unusually tense expecting more Brutes. The batteries of his helmet lights ran out right when he needed them the most. Looking in what appeared to be a large laboratory like room he saw things he'd never seen before. "Go through that door, I want to see something." "You want to see something?" he replied. "A girl can be curious can't she?" The Chief didn't answer knowing she'd get technical with him and eventually win. The Chief walked to the door and put his heavy glove on the holo-pad. Large Covenant letters appeared then disappeared. "Be patient." When she finished the Chief put his hand on the pad again but this time the door opened. The room was cast in a blue light. The batteries had recharged by the time he entered. Turning the helmet lights on again what he saw amazed him. In sealed tubes it looked like skeletons of large creatures. "Those are. no way. I never thought." "Cortana?" She didn't answer. Suddenly the lights in the room turned on. The room was actually a cavern. He was just on the top level. He looked out and saw rows of the skeletons. Something caught his attention though; it appeared to be a large black shape in a clouded tube. Walking down the steps he kept checking his threat indicator. Nothing. It felt as if his head was being drilled into by some unknown presence. Arriving at the tube he paused. "Cortana, what should I do?" "Hold on I'm working through the encryptions the Covenant left for me." "What happened back there?" he asked. "Flashback to the Halo." "I thought AI's didn't get flashbacks, it's impossible." "I just remembered something," she answered sharply. "What?" the Chief demanded. "You know that the Covenant didn't create the Halo right?" "Yeah, I thought it was the Forerunners." "Well what do you think you're looking at." The chief cocked his head and saw an alien he'd never seen. The skin looked scaly, with no mouth. What looked like metallic hair was protruding from the head and put in a ponytail held together by a large layered carapace. The fog in the chamber slowly disappeared and revealed a large alien at least ten feet tall. It had an unknown metal on its oversized chest. In the middle of the chest there was a large red bulbous holo-projector that could project to eye level. The right shoulder pad seemed to have an early form of an energy shield. On the right arm there was a fully deployed energy sword. On the left pad there was a red robe that extended down to the wrist. On the left arm was another energy shield. The waist was very narrowed and covered in a silky white fabric. From the waist another red robe extended down covering most of the large legs. The Chief stared at the Forerunner for what seemed like hours. "It's in stasis freeze Chief." "What do you mean?" he asked. "It's frozen in time. I'm not sure who did it though, Covenant or Forerunner." The Chief walked to the info panel to see if he could bring it out of stasis freeze. But before he could touch the panel the glass next to him exploded into a million shards. The Chief was thrown back twenty feet. He sat up and saw the Forerunner looking into the Chief's eyes. The Forerunner's eyes had turned a deep blue color. Noticing that the Forerunner's hand was extended with its palm outstretched. He got up to try to subdue, but not kill, the Forerunner. But was hit by an invisible enemy again. "Master Chief be careful, it seems to have psychic abilities." "Great," he replied. The Forerunner had not moved during the whole period of time. The Chief pulled out his plasma shotgun and leveled it at the Forerunner's head. Pulling the trigger he shot three times, but in a flash the arm energy shield was deployed in front of it. The three shots ricocheted in all directions breaking empty stasis tubes. The Forerunner retracted the shield and pointed his sword directly at the Chief. The Forerunner then made himself levitate and thrusted himself at the Master Chief. Dodging the attack and sliding onto one knee and extending his other leg for balance he fired a constant spray of plasma shots at the Forerunners less armored back. Two shots hit where he wanted them to and knocked the Forerunner to the ground. Knowing he was still dangerous the Chief moved forward cautiously. "Don't worry, he's out cold."  
  
"Thanks Cortana." Sure enough when he flipped the Forerunner over the eyes were their original creamy white color. He picked the Forerunner up and was surprised at how light it was. Carrying the alien he couldn't help think that it had awoken again but wasn't willing to show itself again. 


	4. Mind Reading

Chapter 4: Mind Reading  
  
Three weeks till Spartan2b arrivals.  
  
The Forerunner that the Master Chief had captured only came out of its 'hibernation' three times over the past month. It did nothing during those periods of time. All attempts to communicate were unsuccessful. It was as if the Forerunner was possessed when it fought the Master Chief. The only breakthrough was that the Covenant knew that it had been captured and weren't willing to get it back or be near it. It also meant a major recovery mission was being planned. "Chief! You need to go to the Forerunner immediately, something's happening." Getting out of his bed the Master Chief cleared his vision and grabbed his helmet. "Couldn't you just page me instead of screaming into my ear? I'd like that better." "Couldn't. This is to urgent." Knowing it was useless the Spartan walked down the metallic hallways. Right as he was to palm the hand pad Cortana interrupted him. "Do you have weapons?" "No." "Get some, now, and hurry." The Chief's stomach plummeted as he realized what he would have to do.  
  
Arriving at the armory he went to his personal locker. Grabbing a pistol and the plasma shotgun that he used to knock the same Forerunner out with, he just stood and thought to himself. He had a splitting headache, but for some reason, it felt, good. It wasn't making him sick but made him think. He couldn't tell what he was thinking about but it just felt important. He holstered the pistol and primed the plasma shotgun. Realizing he might have to use heavy firepower he reached for a half dozen grenades. But his vision started to blur. The corners started to go white then went black. In the back of his mind he thought that he heard Cortana yelling something. Chief, Chief! Was that what she was saying, I don't know, was all that he remembered before totally blacking out.  
  
Thump! Thump, Thump! Explosions were heard all around. He felt the intense heat as an explosion went off near him. The ground shook as another explosion went off. The Chief tried to call out to Cortana but no sound came out. He tried again but it turned out the same. Wondering if his vocal cords had been damaged the Chief grabbed at his throat. But what he saw was horrifying but amazing at the same time. On his right arm he saw a large beam sword. The Chief looked at himself and saw that he was in a Forerunner's armor. No, he thought, I am a Forerunner. Realizing this his breathing became staggered. When he tried to walk he stumbled, unsure if it was the new body or his delusional mind. He fell backwards on the ground and just laid with his eyes closed for what seemed like an eternity. But when he opened his eyes he saw something that was in his dreams every night. The land started the arch forward as it came around to meet thousands of kilometers in the sky. He was on the Halo he destroyed years ago. Or rather to the Forerunner, hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Then in his mind it felt like Cortana had come back into his head. Trying to call to her again he was met with silence. But when he had finally given up on trying to speak a deep booming voice echoed in his mind. "This is what you destroyed. The first Halo. We built more but never with as much beauty and pose as this one. You destroyed it to save your race from destruction. If you hadn't, what do you think would have been happening right now? Do you think you would be dead right now, or the war over? Could anyone ever know?" Realizing how he was communicating with him. Thought. "Yes. There is someone who could know. I don't think it is a computer. But somebody with knowledge of everything." "I am that person," replied the Forerunner, "I know what would have happened if you hadn't destroyed the Halo, or rather you activated the only blemish of the object. The ability to destroy all life within 25,000 light years of it's location. The outcome will surprise you. Had you not destroyed the ring world the war would have ended there. For some reason the Covenant believed that they were unable to stop your power. But had you activated one of the powers the war might never end. The ripples in the water never go the way you want them to. You might think you know where they will go, but won't, ever. No, you didn't need to destroy all of the Covenant you did, but the outcome wouldn't have changed." "How'd you know?" "You are in my mind aren't you?" replied the Forerunner. "Right now there is the last war the Forerunners will be able to fight in. Our slaves have revolted and have stolen enough weapons to arm an army." "Who are your slaves?" "See for yourself." The Chief sat up and saw what was going on. Blue streaks were being fired from over a hill and were landing near him. "You, or rather, I am a General, in your ranks. The slaves are about to come over the hill and attack in waves even our superior strength can't handle." As he finished dark shapes appeared on the horizon. He realized what the shape was instantly. An Elite. "No way. I thought the Covenant created their plasma weapons." "No. We created plasma weapons. The 'Covenant', as you call them, stole them from our armories. They were originally as primitive as you were. But they were taught how to make plasma weapons and other advanced weapons." The Elite was running down the hill toward the Chief. The Chief jumped to his feet and started running at full speed towards the Elite. The Chief swung the sword in one swift swipe. The Elite paused and looked down at the purple blood running down his thighs. Because of the basic armor he wore the Elite was no stronger than a normal marine. Impatient with the Elites slow death the Chief swung the blade in a straight line across the Elite's neck. The head fell to the ground followed by a puddle of blood. Then a rumbling was heard from the hill. "You have psychic abilities." "How do I," questioned the Chief. "You know how to." Remembering how the Forerunner did it during the battle, he lifted his hand and spread his fingers. Instantly a surge of energy went rushing through his fingers. Somehow knowing to how to control it and use it he sent a shot forward. The Covenant that were hit with it seemed to have run into a bar laid at neck level. Their legs flew out from under them but still went forward. Suddenly the other Covenant started to do the same as the ones who he shot at. He turned around and saw the thousands of Forerunners doing the same as he was. But the Chief wanted to be in on the action readied his sword and charged at the dark shapes on the horizon. Once the sun was at another angle he saw that there were the three main Covenant, Elite, Jackal, and Grunt. Nothing stopped his charge, not until he saw that his army was about to die with him. He turned around one last time to face the Covenant head on. Right before he engaged the enemies he stuck the sword straight out to his right. "You ha two swords." The Chief saw the second one and deployed it, sticking it out to the left. He struck the Covenant with tremendous force. Elites, Jackals, and Grunts alike succumbed to the beam sword en masse. Blood poured down the hill in streams as the Covenant were killed by the Chief. The beam swords were just a blur as they tasted the foulness of alien blood. He couldn't help but step and crush the skulls of Covenant that met the blades and fell. The Chief couldn't believe the speed that he possessed. The other Forerunners arrived at the summit of the hill to see that hundreds of Covenant bodies lay in pieces all around them. The Chiefs once silver colored armor was now a collage of purple and blue. For some reason he felt a burning desire to kill all of the Covenant that existed ever. He had never felt such hatred when he fought. It felt good though. He wasn't sure if he hadn't been hurt or was so high on adrenaline that pain was non-existent. He swung his blade with such precision that every target he had died a bloody death. He aimed mostly at the head but every once in a while he hacked something in half. That usually slowed the overwhelming advance long enough to rest. But he was becoming very tired. Without the MJOLNIR enhancements he didn't have the infinite stamina he enjoyed. But the only thought in his mind was Covenant annihilation. He cared nothing for the other Spartans or the Halo or even himself. Then he felt a stabbing pain in his right leg. It seemed that a small glowing dagger had hit in the joint between the thigh and knee plate. He pulled the blade out and saw a white liquid dripping off it. I'm bleeding, thought the Chief; you'll pay whichever son of a bitches did that to me. He swung the energy blade in a giant circle. Fifteen heads feel to the bloody ground. The Chief decided to go ballistic and kill everything at that point. The long, braided, metallic hair of the Forerunner got into his face he wiped it away leaving a swath of purple-blue blood on the scaly face. The Chief jumped into the air and used the psychic abilities to force himself into the group of Covenant in a superman position. He extended the blades and put thirty-nine Covenant to the afterlife. But he looked over and saw that he had positioned himself into a circle of Elites. All with stolen beam swords. "Go to hell!" were his last words as in desperation he killed fifteen of them before falling to the same weapon that killed close to a thousand Covenants. Floating in what seemed like a white cloud he heard the booming voice. "You did exactly what I did. You killed 987 sla- Covenant. You may take my beam swords in the future." "You mean this wasn't a dream," asked the Chief. There was no reply. Then he realized what the Forerunner wanted him to know.  
  
The Chief sat up in a brightly lit room. He realized that he was in his under suit on an examination table. He jumped up and ran to the Forerunner's room. Walking in he saw the Forerunner looking directly at him. He extended both arms. A bright light appeared around the two beam swords. They hovered over towards him and stopped. The Chief reached out and grabbed the beam swords. "I am the only one that you could trust. The others will kill you at any cost. I had to find somebody that was suitable to be my host," echoed throughout his mind. An intense light appeared at the Forerunner and traveled to the Master Chief's head and disappeared into it. He felt a warm feeling as the Forerunners mind entered his. I will not control you but give you unknown advice. What do you mean? Trust your gut feeling. The Chief stood there for almost minutes before going to retrieve his armor. Any revived Forerunners that allied with the Covenant would die at his blades.  
  
Note: Please, don't comment on the format or anything like that. Whatever happens between the transfer causes anything that I did special to go away. 


	5. Seeing the Light

Chapter 5: Seeing the Light

+ 5 Hours after SpartanIIB projected departing time…

            "Yes you heard me correct, I want you to take Karen's cryo-coffin with you. No it's not unsanitary to be in a ships storage bay. Thank you. See you in a few days."

"What was that all about?"

"I am getting Karen to go with them," replied Cortana.

"Glad you took my hunch seriously."

"Master Chief, I only listen to you when _my_ hunches agree with yours."  
 "Oh." Cortana was 'standing' in the communication room's holo projector. The Chief reached out for Cortana's small chip. He slid it into his main input port and felt the familiar sensation of her entering his every nerve. Due to the sudden change of plans the SpartanIIB shuttle would leave two days later than expected due to the special package they were carrying. 

"_Do you think it'll work though, I mean that one Forerunner could have been a fluke."_

"He made it sound like there were at least a hundred more."  
 "_That's a lot of Forerunners to have to deal with. By the way…did he give an explanation on why he attacked you?"_ asked Cortana.

"He said that there is small hive mind like tendency in the Forerunners society, they may be taken over by the Emperor Forerunner for certain things. That's why their eyes glow blue, the emperor was trying to get control of one of the most powerful generals at his disposal."  
 "_Ahhh, that would explain why the Covenant haven't come after him then, they believe that the Emperor will take control of him. But if the Covenant were slaves of the Forerunners, why are the they taking orders from the Covenant?"  
_ "He says that the emperor _has _taken control of the Covenant, I guess the Prophets gave up command," replied the Master Chief.

"_The Prophets must have something up their sleeves because they wouldn't seem like the kind of people who give the reigns over without something…in…store…I know what they're going to do! Because of the new Spartans the Prophets believe that the Covenant will be at a disadvantage from now on. So if they got their armor from the Forerunners, they'll let them come up with something new and dispose of them when they got what they wanted! It's a cycle, when they need something new, Poof! The Forerunners are there to give them something new."_

" I need to tell him," replied the Chief.

"_Why doesn't he have a name?"_

_"_It's too hard to say so I just refer to him as…him."

"_How will he notify the Emperor?"_

"Because of his closeness to the Emperor he has a strong psychic connection with him."  
 "_Okay, I'll notify all field commanders and Admiral Chastety."_

You need to notify the Emperor that the Forerunners are being used to further the Covenant's technology. 

What do you mean? Boomed the voice of the Forerunner.

The Forerunners are only being used for your great knowledge, not to reclaim their rightful position of the Covenant's masters! 

I will tell him immediately, thank you John. 

How'd you know my real name? 

Our connection is stronger than with the Emperor. I look in your mind and you can look into mine if you try hard enough. 

Do you have an easier name rather than Verasdanim? 

Yes, Veras. 

Thank you for listening Veras. 

Authors note: This chapter is purposely small so that you get the idea of the Forerunners true purpose.


	6. The Eternal Rest

Chapter 6: The Eternal Rest

T-minus 2 minutes till SpartanIIB arrivals…

            The main landing pad had a feeling of anxiousness. Any marines who were free were waiting for the large drop ship. The first person to greet the new arrivals would be the Master Chief. Heat sensors were set up around all of the entrances to the pad to catch cloaked Elites. Large bore AA guns were pointed in all directions to destroy a Covenant drop ship if one did come to ambush the off guard Spartans. For the past five minutes there had been a deafening silence in anticipation. It was broken when an unknown marine pointed out the ship to no one in particular. The Chief wheeled around on his heels and saw a gray dot in the sky. He zoomed in and saw that it was in fact the drop ship. It made one pass over the base to bleed some speed and have a safe landing. A loud _Boom _echoed around the base as the jets on the bottom of the engines fired in unison. The small coat of red-black dirt that was on the pad went away in a cloud forcing many to try to cover their eyes and plug their ears at the same time. The MJOLNIR armor automatically dampened the deafening sound to a quiet rumble. The skids hit the ground and the noise and dust disappeared. The bottom jets were glowing orange and needed to cool down before the Spartans could disembark. 

            After about two minutes a hiss came out, as the main hatch was unsealed. A muffled _thump_ came from inside the ship as the first, and highest ranking Spartan of the new arrivals, appeared in the hatchway. He had the same metallic black color as Karen. He stepped out onto the pad and saluted to the Master Chief. The new Spartans did not have the same rankings as normal UNSC forces they were between SP, which stood for Spartan, 1 to SP-10. An SP- 10 is someone who met basic requirements in Spartan training and nothing else. An SP-1, which is the Master Chief, has no real definition; they are people who have no second thoughts about dying to complete a mission and more. 

"SP- 8 Jacobs reporting!"

"Thank-you," replied the Chief quietly and calmly. The other Spartans filed out of the ship and reported to the Master Chief. In all twenty Spartans made the journey. The rest either needed more training or had been injured before the trip. After the Chief dismissed the Spartan B's he made his way to the cargo bay and saw Karen's cryo-coffin. The Chief walked up to one of the Marines charged with moving her to a waiting Pelican.

"How long?"

"Oh, excuse me sir, I didn't see you. I was about to grab a hover lift and unload her once I checked the manifest," replied the marine smoothly.

"Thank-you, I'll be waiting at the Pelican on pad Gamma-One-Nine-Five." The Chief walked onto one of the bridges that connected the pads in the Gamma section together. He spied the Pelican waiting for him on Gamma-195. 

"_Do you want some marines to join us in case something goes wrong?"_

"If you're hinting at another Forerunner or Karen not being rational, then no. But for protection from lurking Covenant, yes, just so I don't have to worry about too many things at once."

"_Okay, I'll call a squad of Hell Jumpers and another Pelican for all of those reasons."_

"You were going to call them anyways as a 'coincidence' weren't you?" replied the Chief.

"_The million dollar prize goes to the Master Chief."_

"Did I tell you that the Forerunner knows my name?"

"_What is your name anyways? You always seem to avoid the subject whenever I ask you."_

"Are you sure you want to know?" answered the Chief playfully.

_"Yes I want to know."_

"It's-." When he was about to say it he came upon the Pelican and kept his mouth shut, no matter how much Cortana prodded him. He saw the same marine he had talked to just minutes earlier coming on the same bridge he just passed over. He also heard a Pelican arrive on a nearby platform, most likely for the Hell Jumpers. For the first time in years he had butterflies in his stomach. The marine waved to him and the Chief moved toward him quickly. He fell into step with the marine and moved silently with him. 

            Once the cryo-coffin was in place the marine walked off and never looked back. The Chief waited for the Hell Jumpers to board their Pelican and get a quick head start before he told the pilot to head for the Covenant installation.    

   Throughout the ride the Chief stood looking over the scarred land leading to the former Covenant installation. 

            When the Pelican landed the Master Chief saw about twenty-five Hell Jumpers run inside or stand guard outside. Pushing the cryo-coffin, the Chief could see that Karen's face hadn't changed at all, thanks to the cryo freeze. After making his way through empty hallways he entered the large room that housed what Veras told him, was a machine that could bring anything back to life. He arrived at what; the semi-transparent schematic on his HUD, said was the machine that would revive Karen. Knowing that it could be a failure or success, he popped the coffins seal and let the nitrogen gas escape from inside. Karen's skin came back to a light brown tan color, her blond hair shimmering with the melting nitrogen pools. He took off her suit so that she had the under suit on. He lifted her up and engaged the gravity locks to hold her in place. He removed Cortana and put her into the holo-panel in front of him.

"_Well it seems easy enough. Pretty basic. Close the door and the program should start."_

The Master Chief sung the heavy glass door closed and waited in anticipation as the program started to work wonders.

            _Whe-…where am I? _Gas swirled in front of her eyes. Karen tried to raise her arms but she didn't have enough strength. _I was having pleasant dream a little bit ago. Whoever or whatever woke me up will pay dearly._ Her eyes stung all over as she tried to move them. It felt as if she had a jackhammer in the back of her mind that was trying to drill to the front of her skull. _Why am I here?_ She tried to move her head but felt like she had vertigo and fell forward.

            _"I've disabled the gravity locks because she should be able to stand." _The Chief nodded, agreeing.

            Karen felt something hard against her cheek as she fell to the ground. Her legs angled off to the side and her hands were out in front of her for stability. Her golden hair fell in front of her downward-pointed face covering it on all sides. Feeling the last ounce of strength being sucked away from her she looked up and saw the white gas disappear and felt a large olive green creature put it's arms around her and lift her right off the ground.                                  


	7. Reboot

Chapter 7: Reboot

Five hours since reviving…

            Karen lay sleeping in a bed still in her under suit. The Master Chief had put a 24-hour watch on her to catch any complications since her revival. Cortana had been watching her vitals since she left the tube. According to Cortana her vitals were the same as a fifteen year old who was sleeping. Her armor would need to be upgraded with some of the new components developed since she was killed. According to the techs she would need to be 'rebooted', as they called it. Because she had been awakened after she was killed they believed that she forgotten most of her battle skills and would need to have a quick training period to bring them back.

"Spartans, ten-hut!" The twenty Spartans in the room all snapped to attention and planted their eyes on the spot where the Master Chief would appear. Instead the ten-foot tall Veras walked into the room. 

"What the hell is that?!"

"I need a Battle Rifle!"

"Troops formation Alpha!"

 The room was chaotic as the Spartans tried to get back to order. Some were stunned looking at the Forerunner, others were trying to find some kind of weapon so that they could kill it, but the three officers were trying to get their troops together for strength in numbers. Appearing behind Veras was the Master Chief. 

"Calm down! This isn't an enemy. This is… a Forerunner." A small murmur traveled throughout the Spartans as they wondered what a Forerunner was. 

"What is a Forerunner?" asked an unknown person. 

"These are the creatures that developed most of the Covenant's weapons and armor," replied the Chief to everyone.

"Why are helping them?" asked another.

"What's going on is…complicated. The Forerunners used to be the Covenants masters before a large uprising. The Forerunners have been in a vicious cycle after that. Whenever the Covenant hit a brick wall on new technology they bring the Forerunners back to life to help them. Once they have what they need the Covenant kill them all." The whole room was silent as they took in the information. "One thing that you can thank the Covenant for is this." The Master Chief left the room and went down the hall and disappeared. 

"Can you talk?" Veras looked over at the person who asked the question and stared at them.

"Whoa…" All of the Spartans looked at Veras with orange visors and stared.

"He didn't even move his mouth."

"How did he talk to us then?"

"Telepathically." Standing in the door way was the Master Chief. "He uses his mind to send messages to whoever he wishes."

"How?"

"Not sure, he doesn't even know how. We all think that it's just instinct, like survival for humans. It just…happens. Anyways, here is what I want to show you." The Chief sidestepped and revealed Karen standing in her under suit. As if synchronized, all the Spartans in the room let gasps in amazement. 

"He- hello," she said nervously. 

            _"Faster, you need to go faster!"_ Karen was running a gauntlet type course in a large holo-building. She swerved back and forth through huge pines. The MJOLNIR armor was instantaneous in its response. Her battle rifle was across her chest as she raced against the clock.

"_Put some Covenant out there."_

_"Yes sir."_

            In front of her a Grunt popped out of behind a tree and aimed it's plasma pistol at her, but she was faster. Into it's skull went five of the 8mm rounds. One scored a hit on its respirator and sent it flailing in the air. Experimenting, she pulled out a frag grenade and put it near the grunt. _Whump! _Looking from behind the tree she saw a blossom of greenish red flame where the Grunt _used_ to be. 

_"What is she doing?"_

_"Don't worry, she doing what I wanted to her to do."_

She was already twenty yards from where Grunt blew up when she saw a Pelican behind another 150 yards of foliage. From behind almost all of the trees the purple-white needles from a needler. She dodged most but was still hit by five or six. Her shields flared as the needles exploded. Judging by how many needles came at her she guessed there were probably ten. Tossing three frags in an elongated triangle she killed eight of them. The other two ran away in fear and were torn to pieces by automatic gunfire. 

_"Wow."_

_"I told you doctor, she didn't need to be 'rebooted'."_

            Karen ran into the back of the Pelican and saw that she had almost a whole minute left till she missed her ride. She slammed the holo screen and the simulation ended. The trees around her melted away along with everything else in the simulation. From a door about two hundred yards away came the Master Chief. Even though he wasn't within shouting distance he still had his mic. 

_"Good Job."_

"Thank you," replied Karen. She reached behind her helmet and hit a small button that unlocked her helmet. She lifted it up and put it under her armpit. She extended the small earphone/mic around her ear so she could hear if the Chief said anymore as he moved towards her. Her hair glistened in the artificial light as sweat poured down her face and to her neck.

"_You can take your armor off if you want, we still need to install a couple more systems into it." _Hearing this she tore off every piece of armor by the time the Chief arrived. 

"Your under suit can be turned into shorts and a t-shirt."

"How?" she asked. 

"See the blue dot near your right wrist." Karen looked down and pushed the small dot. Instantly the legs disappeared to the middle of her thighs. Once that was completed her stomach was exposed to till it was an inch below her chest. Sweat was all over her body. 

"I thought you said it was a t-shirt."

"My mistake." The two walked back to the same door the Chief had come out of quietly. 

"Why did you bring _me_ back?" she blurted out, "There were others who deserved it more than me."

"I don't know. I felt that you were special." 

"How, I'm no better than the others."

"Oh contraire. I was going to tell you later but now seems be to better. I brought you back to help with an attack on the Covenant main base. Once that falls the rest of the planet will fall easily. But I need you to help me get in ahead of time and find the Covenant Forerunners and kill them before they can get to the battlefield. But you'll need covert skills first."

"When do we start?" 


End file.
